Find Your Perfect Program

We've partnered with fitness guru Ellen Barrett and nutrition authority Lisa Young, R.D., to offer you three customizable eight-week programs that will help you lose weight, get in shape, and look sensational.

Eating Plans

Fuel your workouts with these satisfying, nutrient-packed dishes developed by Lisa Young, R.D., author of The Portion Teller Plan and adjunct professor of nutrition at New York University. "Each meal includes a healthy dose of hunger-dampening protein and fat to keep you satisfied and prevent overeating," Young reveals. The sample plan listed contains 1,200 calories and is designed for a 15-pound weight loss. Looking to lose less weight? You get to eat even more! Make our suggested tweaks for a more tailored approach. To drop 10 pounds, you'll aim for 1,500 calories a day. Shave off 5 pounds by aiming for 1,800 daily.

Perform each of the following exercises for 1 minute with as short a pause as possible between moves. Repeat the entire sequence 4 more times for a total of 5 rounds.

Exercise 1

Wall Push-Up: Stand facing a wall, 2 to 4 feet away (the farther your feet are from wall, the more intense the move). Place palms on the wall, shoulder-width apart. Keeping your back flat and abs and butt tight, bend your arms until your face is 3 inches from the wall, then straighten. Repeat at a tempo you can maintain for the full minute.

Exercise Plan: Quick Cardio Sculpt

Exercise Plan: Quick Cardio Sculpt

Exercise 4

Seesaw Left Lift: Stand with your feet hip-width apart, toes pointed out, legs straight, hands at waist. Shift your weight onto your right foot and, without bending your right leg, extend your left leg out to the side as high as you can. Return to starting position and alternate sides.

Exercise Plan: Lose 10 Pounds

To Drop 10 Pounds Try Our Interval Training Workout

"Multiple bursts of high-intensity work, like explosive jumps and shoulder presses, will maintain an elevated heart rate while continually challenging your body, keeping your muscles on their toes," says Barrett. "Variety is critical to maintaining a stoked metabolism: When your body gets too familiar with a workout, it stops burning as many calories." Each combination pairs upper- and lower-body moves for a true full-body routine.

Perform each single exercise for 1 minute and complete each combination twice (4 minutes per combo.) Then immediately do a 15-minute power walk.

Combo 1

Plyo Jump: Begin by standing with your feet together. Launch a big, powerful jump to the right, sticking the landing with soft knees, feet planted close together. Jump back to the left; stick and hold. Repeat for 1 minute.

Exercise Plan: Interval Training Workout

Combo 2

Wall Sit: Stand with your back against a wall, feet a few feet away. Bend your knees and slide your back down the wall until your knees are at a 90-degree angle. Hold for 1 minute. (Can't last the full minute? Raise your tush a few inches above knee height.)

Side Fly: Stand with feet hip-width apart and legs bent very slightly. Hold weights in hands, palms facing in. Lift arms straight out to sides until nearly parallel with floor. Lower to starting position and repeat. Return to wall sit.

Exercise Plan: Interval Training Workout

Combo 3

Front Kick: Stand with feet hip-width apart, hands on hips, and kick your right foot straight out so your leg is parallel to the floor. (Think Rockette, not karate.) Repeat with left leg, alternating for 1 minute.

Biceps Curl: Hold weights in hands, palms facing forward, elbows near waist. Raise the weights to your shoulders and back down for 1 minute. Return to front kick.

Exercise Plan: Lose 15 Pounds

To Drop 15 Pounds Try Our Living Room Boot Camp

"You'll need to invest some time in slimming down, so why not turn your home into a gym?" suggests Barrett. "The payoff: You can work out any time—even when the weather's bad. And you don't need to buy any expensive equipment." These moves are so much fun, your kids will want to—and can—jump in.

Equipment Needed: Jump rope; a step or stair; You can pretend with an air jump rope or try one of these: Nike Speed Jump Rope (amazon.com, $14) or NordicTrack Adjustable Weight Jump Rope (sears.com, $15).

How Many Times Per Week: 6

Minutes Per Session: 30

Perform each exercise in the cardio step series for 1 minute, each power arm exercise for 1 minute, then jump rope for 7 minutes straight. Mix up your moves: Hop from right to left, skip, try a double hop. Repeat the entire routine. Avoid taking any breaks except for sips of water for a total body fat-burning workout.

Exercise 1

Cardio Step Series: (5 moves, 1 minute each)

1. Step up and down on a step or stair, leading with your right foot first, then your left foot.

2. V-step up and down on a step or stair. Lead with your right foot, planting it just past hip-width apart on the stair. Follow with left foot, past hip-width as well. Step back down with right foot, then left. Repeat, leading with left foot. Alternate.

Exercise Plan: Living Room Boot Camp

1. Wide Stance Push-Up: Kneel 2 to 3 feet in front of your step and place your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart on top of it. Bend your elbows until your nose is 6 inches from stair. Extend arms and repeat.

2. Triceps Dip: Flip around and perform triceps dip on the step or stair: Plant hands on stair directly under shoulders, fingers facing your body (they may curl around the stair). Walk your feet out until your knees are directly above ankles. Keeping your hips elevated, use your triceps to dip your body up and down.

3. Diamond Push-Up: Perform push-up as in move 1 above, but place hands close together so index fingers and thumbs touch, forming a diamond (your thumbs may curl over the step). Aim your nose toward the middle of the diamond.

Originally published in the May 2012 issue of Family Circle magazine.

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